Wind Across the Everglades (1958)

An ornithologist battles a family of bird poachers in the Florida Everglades.

Directors:

Nicholas Ray, Budd Schulberg (uncredited)

Writer:

Budd Schulberg

Stars:

Burl Ives, Christopher Plummer, Chana Eden

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burl Ives	...	Cottonmouth
Christopher Plummer	...	Walt Murdock
Chana Eden	...	Naomi
Gypsy Rose Lee	...	Mrs. Bradford
Tony Galento	...	Beef
Sammy Renick	...	Loser
Pat Henning	...	Sawdust
Peter Falk	...	Writer
Cory Osceola	...	Billy One-Arm
Emmett Kelly	...	Bigamy Bob
MacKinlay Kantor	...	Judge Harris
Totch Brown	...	One-Note
George Voskovec	...	Aaron Nathanson
Curt Conway	...	Perfesser
Sumner Williams	...	Windy

Storyline

An ornithologist battles a family of bird poachers in the Florida Everglades.

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Plot Keywords:

birds | bare chested male | hairy chest | homosexual subtext | poacher | 

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Taglines:

HOLLYWOOD BULLETION: "NOTHING LIKE IT SINCE 'GRAPES OF WRATH'"....... (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his autobiography, written fifty years after this film was made, Peter Falk claimed that he and Christopher Plummer were the only professional actors in the film. This was untrue, but there are certainly several people in prominent roles who were not primarily thought of as actors, including the stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, the pugilist Tony Galento, the writer Mackinlay Kantor and the circus clown Emmett Kelly. It was also the first acting role for leading lady Chana Eden.

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Goofs

The hat is not upside down. It has sunk so that only the crown is above water, forcing Cottonmouth to reach underwater to grasp the brim.

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Quotes

Cottonmouth: [calling to the circling buzzards] Come and get me! Swamp-born, swamp-fattened!

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Connections

Featured in Histoire(s) du cinéma: Les signes parmi nous (1999)

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Soundtracks

Empty Pocket Blues
(uncredited)
Written by Budd Schulberg

User Reviews

Maybe it's just me, but this film just didn't seem to make much sense.

The subject matter for this film is interesting and I'm shocked Hollywood would even bother to make this film back in the late 50s. Because of an insane fashion craze, ladies loved having hats filled with bird plumes in the late 19th and early 20th century. The problem was that to get these plumes, bird colonies were decimated-- especially birds like snowy egrets. So, the government deputized agents to protect these birds. But how could these folks possibly enforce the laws--especially in the wild backcountry where the swamp folk lived and hunted? This is the problem in "Wind Across the Everglades" where an eager young agent (Christopher Plummer) is battling the forces of Cottonmouth (Burl Ives)--a foul man who, along with his band of rogues, raped the swamp of its birds.

This is clearly the case of a film where the subject matter is very intriguing but the execution left a lot to be desired. Too often, the film just seemed to drag and the big confrontation scene between Cottonmouth and the agent just didn't make a whole lot of sense. Nor, for that matter, did ANY of the final portion of the film make sense! I see it as a noble experiment of a film...but a failure due to problems with the silly script.

By the way, if you care, Bigamy Bob is played by the super-famous clown, Emmett Kelly and this is Peter Falk's first film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 1958 (UK)

Also Known As:

Across the Everglades

Filming Locations:

Everglades City, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Schulberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1